109 
OBSERVATIONS ON SOME SPECIES OF NEAPOLITAN 
FUNGI. 
By Dr. 0. Comes. 
1. Agaiicus caeruleo-viiridis. Brig. — Hist. Fung. Neap., p. 9, 
t. 3, f. 1-2. 
Fries did not quote in his work, “ Hymen. Europ. Upsal., 
1874,” this species of fungus that was described by Briganti, and 
he in l.c., p. 43, gave the following reason : — “ A. caeruleo-viridem, 
Brig., omitto, quum descriptio ad unguem cum A. aeruginoso con- 
veniat, exceptis lamellis albis ; sed inter Pratellos saepe vidi 
lamellas steriles persistenter albas, v.c. apud A. obturatum, udum, 
etc.” At p. 9 of our preceding publication : “ Funghi del Napo- 
litano,” we have clearly stated, in speaking of this fungus, that 
le spore nei soggetti da me esaminati sono bianche ” Briganti, 
moreover, in l.c. does not speak in a special manner of the spores; 
at most their white colour might be inferred from his having 
classified this fungus amongst the Leucospori. In the samples we 
examined we find spores, which are “ ovato-ellitticl/e ” and white, 
and have the dimensions of mm. 0,00608 x 0,00365. Cooke gives 
to the spores of the A. ceruginosus , Curt., the dimensions of m. 
0. 00028 x 0,0002, equivalent in mm. 0,00711 X 0,00508. In this 
species, it not being the case of ascribing the white colour of the 
gills to their sterility, as Fries suspected, we believe that the 
species of Briganti ought to be putin the catalogue of “ Hymeno- 
mycetes Europasi,” as it cannot be mistaken for A. ceruginosus , 
Curt., because of the incompatibility of the colour of the spores. 
2. A. neapolitanus. Pers. — (Pers. Mvc. Eur. iii., p. 23, No. 
112; Inzenga Fung. Sic. i., p. 14. — A. coffece , Brig., Hist. Fung. 
Neap., p. 81, t. 23-26). 
This fungus of large dimensions lives in very special conditions, 
exclusively on coffee-mark, and it seems exclusively limited in the 
southern parts of Europe. Persoon himself described it from 
dry samples sent to him by M. Tenore, in 1876, accompanied by a 
letter published by Persoon, in a note in l.c., p. 74. Briganti in 
his work described fully this fungus, giving four plates of it, and 
having examined the fresh samples he was able to describe it better 
than Persoon; he preferred changing the old name into that of A. 
coffece. Therefore meanwhile these two names do not refer but to 
one single species and design exclusively the coffee fungus ; yet 
there have been ascribed the above said names to two species which 
are without affinity between themselves, and quite different from the 
coffee fungus. In fact, in Fries’ 11 Hym. Eur., p. 99, No. 300,” the 
A. neapolitanus, Pers., is considered as a form of A. catinus, Fr., 
which lives between the leaves of the beech tree ; and at p. 86, 
1. c., is found the A. coffece, Brig., referred to the A. difformis, 
Schum., which lives on the ground in a rich soil ; both species are 
